The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-01-05
POULTRY EXHIBITION.
The Indiana Association Surpasses Its Sue
cessful Show of Last Year.

The second annual exhibition Of the Central
Indiana Poultry Association began Yesterday
afternoon at the Meridian Rink. The officers
OF this association are; President, Sidney Con-
ger, of Flatrock; secretary, Robert B. Hale, of
Shelbyville; floor manager Samuel L. Lange,
Shelbyv:lle. This association includes all OF
Indiana the membership being, perhaps. the
largest of any poultry association in the United
States, embracing some of the best known and
most influential breeders Of fine poultry in the
world. The outlook for the success of this
exhibition is better than the managers an
ticipated, the number of entries being larger
than on the second or even on the third day OF
the exhibit of last year. There are now nearly
five hundred specimens from Indiana, Ohio,
Illinois. kentucky and Michigan. To-day
there will be entries from Iowa and Tennessee.
The weighing Of the birds, which will take
place to-day, will be one Of the most interesting
and important features. The judging of
the American class will Immediately fol
low. the judges being B. N. Pierce and
T. W. Pottage, of Indianapolis, and L n. Barker.
of Thorntown, Ind The smallest full-grown
chicken ever exhibited is shown in T. w. Pot
tage's collection. and attracts great attention.
1t is a silver duck wing game bantam pullet and
weighs only eight ounces, not being nearly as
large as pigeon. There will be large disay
of ducks, chiefly Pekins, many of which will
arrive to-day, and several fne specimens Of
bronze turkeys some of them weighing as high
as forty pounds each, with beautiful plumage.
There is also fine display of pigeons.
The closest competition will be on Wyan-
dottes Over one hundred specimens are al
ready entered, and more will arrive today. Of
the new breeds not recognized by the standard
hare Ana 10 dotya and vu1i 70
Plymouth Rocks. There is pen of Plymouth
Rocks now entered, which shows the highest
average score OF any pen ever exhibited, show
ing 94a points of excellence out of possible lOO
This pen could not be bought for 5000.
The saw-dust floor has been done away with.
giving the room cleaner and more wholesome
appearance. and the coops are ranged in long
curved lines with two center aisles The value
of the poultry stock exhibited last year by this
association was 500, 600. One bird sold in the
rink for $3.50 cash. 1t was a Plymouth Rock
coekcrel. Numerous birds changed hands at $25
and sales were not uncommon for single birds
all the way from $40 to $50. Breeding oens, five
females and male sold readily at 800. The
exhibit now here is more valuable than that of
last year. 1t IS interesting to note the knowing
chicken men ''sizing up" bird-for the chickens
are all called birds No class of stock is severely
and closely judged as chickens, and every poul-
tryman understands scoring This manner of
judging has sprung the score-card system which
is now coming into use among cattle raisers and
stock breeders. The poultry interest is not cred
tied with it's full consequence by the unintiated,
| yet statistics by the department at Washington
show that the value of poultry, including the egg
| product Is greater each year than the value of
| either the wheat or corn product Of the United
| States, and has five times the value Of the cot
| ton crop The importation of eggs alone from
| foreign countries has amounted in 1886 to over
| ten million dollars
The exhibit will continue through the week,
| the doors being open from A. NJ. to 10 P. NJ.